2015 Chapbook-in-translation contest runner-up

poem 66

by Susana Medinatranslated from the Spanish by Rosie Marteau

Set on the precipice of adolescence, "Poem 66" supposes a universal Lolita, one who never met Mr. Humbert or one who always is meeting him. Medina’s Lolita is under siege, always throwing herself, full-bodied, into the void. Written in a sprawling cascade that gives form to the speed at which adolescence passes, and published accordion-folded inverted en-face, Susana Medina’s "Poem 66" is translated by Rosie Marteau, who expertly captures the urgency and transgressive nature of the original Spanish.